Finally
by Luminescify
Summary: It's been ten years since Sesshoumaru first left Rin in Kaede's care. Almost eighteen now, Rin has been attracting the romantic attentions of a young man in the village. This has predictably stirred up homicidal tendencies in everybody's favorite Daiyoukai. He finds himself in the unsettling position of having to finally make a decision about Rin's future...and quite possibly, his.
1. Chapter 1

**Boy, Sesshoumaru is hard work! I have tried my best to get into the most stubborn Daiyoukai's mind; let me know how I've done with a review! **

**Thank you for reading. **

**I don't own Inuyasha. **

**Finally**

**Chapter One**

Sesshoumaru was angry. No, perhaps furious would be a more appropriate word. And yet, somehow, even this fierce sounding word couldn't quite capture the nuances of his rage. A muscle jumped in his face, long fingers curled themselves into a tight fist, and he bit down a snarl. Letting out a long, slow breath, he carefully composed his face, unfurled his fingers and looked down his nose at an unperturbed Kaede.

"The lad has not done anything inappropriate or even unexpected, Sesshoumaru-sama. He is, in fact, a kind, hard working, and reliable young man. I do not see how I can do what you want me to."

He closed his eyes for patience. It would not do to kill the old miko. No, the consequences would be near-catastrophic. But he didn't know what to do.

It had been nearly ten years since he had first left Rin in Kaede's care. Never before had Sesshoumaru known time to be this excruciating. It was almost as if he planned all his other activities, travels and duties around his visits to Rin. To an ignorant outsider, his visits were staccato- with no apparent pattern. They could not be more wrong. Each visit was carefully thought out and meticulously planned. There was a system to deciding how much time had to elapse between each visit so that it did not seem as though he was visiting too much or too little. Lately, he had been trying to increase the time in between his visits, but it felt like the longer he went without seeing Rin, the more he wanted to. He still kept vigilant tabs on her though, which was how he knew that a certain village boy seemed to be spending increasing amounts of time with Rin. He was alarmed, when he came to the village and Rin came running to greet him, how much his scent seemed to cling to her. He had thus asked to speak to Kaede alone before going out for his routine walk with Rin. For some disturbing reason, she didn't seem to think that the boy courting Rin was a matter of agitation, and was quite firm that she would not send the boy out of the village, or even separate the two of them. Sesshoumaru did not know what more to say as he glowered down at her lined, tired, but resolved face of calm.

"This is not over."

And he was out of the little hut with a flourish of silk and _youki_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Sesshoumaru strode out of Kaede's hut and immediately saw Rin waiting patiently some distance away. She stood up when she saw him, smiled, and waved. He nodded and took slow, purposeful steps towards her, willing himself not to go too quickly. Once he approached her, they wordlessly began walking, eventually reaching the path to the meadow that they always seemed to go to. Except for asking her the occasional question, they walked in silence, taking in the feeling of being in each other's presence again. When they reached the meadow, Rin skipped ahead a little, stopping every now and then to pick some flowers. Humming to himself in approval, Sesshoumaru settled down by a tree that they usually sat under and just watched her.

He didn't want to think about why the boy courting Rin bothered him to such an extent that he wanted to kill the boy. He didn't want to think about the fact that the mental image of Rin with that boy made him feel like his throat was suddenly full of sawdust. He just tried to concentrate on Rin, but it was hard because she wasn't a child anymore. She was nearing her eighteenth year of life and he could hardly believe it. He knew that Kaede was right. If she didn't find a man soon, she would be ostracized as an old maid in addition to being the strange girl under a youkai's protection. And after all, wasn't this the reason he had brought her to Kaede's in the first place- to find her place in a human society? Shifting uneasily, he wondered what he was going to do. Sesshoumaru composed himself as he saw Rin walking towards him, with flowers in her hair. Her gait was graceful, and she, beautiful. No, she was definitely not a child anymore.

His thoughts wandered to Kagome- Inuyasha's miko. About three years after he had put Rin in Kaede's care, she had come back to their world- to Inuyasha's world. They were possibly the happiest, most content couple that Sesshoumaru could think of. There was a time when he couldn't quite fathom the connection between the two of them; there was a time when he thought their union was foolish. But now…now he understood how it was nearly impossible for one to exist without the other. And much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he almost envied them.

He then forced himself to remember his plan for Rin- for her to settle down with other humans, for her to have a normal life. It would not to do give in to emotional whims. No.

Sesshoumaru looked to his right, where Rin had quietly sat down next to him. He began with a heavy heart, dreading the words he would have to force himself to say, "Rin,"

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she looked up at him inquiringly.

"This...boy…that you are seeing,"

"Boy? I… Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama means Tadahiko-chan."

"Yes. Is he bothering you?"

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama."

_Damn it. _"Do you like him?"

Slightly confused, Rin ducked her head for pause, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked up, she said hesitantly, "Well, Rin likes him. He often tries to help Rin with her chores and makes a lot of jokes."

_Why is it always the jokes, _sighed Sesshoumaru to himself. The whelp had that over him, then. Sesshoumaru would rather have his hair braided than crack a joke.

Deciding to get to the point, he said flatly, "He is courting you."

Rather taken aback, Rin said, "No, Tadahiko-chan is just Rin's friend."

Who knew that this would cause him physical pain? Plowing through his swirling emotions, Sesshoumaru leveled his voice further and said dispassionately, "Denial is fruitless. If he makes you happy, you have this Sesshoumaru's blessing to-"

Ignorant of the fact that this was the first time she was flat-out interrupting Sesshoumaru, Rin exclaimed with agitation, "Rin does not like him that way! Rin-"

"Nevertheless," Sesshoumaru's soft voice quelled her. "Know that you have this Sesshoumaru's blessing. Be well, Rin."

Quite unable to say anything further, Sesshoumaru rose quickly and began striding away, fighting not to look back when he smelled Rin's tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Sesshoumaru stood alone a few miles away from the village, clenching and unclenching his fists. He wanted to fly away from this place- to escape, to go so far and so fast that wind would have trouble catching up with him, so that his own thoughts would have trouble catching up with him. His feet, however, seemed rooted to the spot. He couldn't seem to move because it would mean going away from Rin's scent…from Rin herself. He breathed deeply instead, recommitting her scent to memory and trying to come to terms with the fact that she would no longer be his.

Suddenly, his hand flew to Bakusaiga's hilt, his eyes glowering in irritation. Crippling injury awaited this particular individual who was fool enough to intrude on this sacred time- these precious moments where he was saying goodbye.

"Put it away, idiot," snapped Inuyasha, walking into view.

"Go away," said Sesshoumaru coldly.

"Yeah, you wish, asshole. You have some answering to do."

Sesshoumaru simply looked down at his brother, fixing him with a deliberately dispassionate gaze.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Again, Sesshoumaru declined to answer, deciding to look the other, further irritating Inuyasha.

"Look here, I'm not going to let you fuck Rin up. She doesn't need to take your bullshit."

"This is not your concern."

"The hell it's not! Rin's been with us for ten years; she's like family now. So I'm not just going to let you walk away from her, leaving in tears. What did you do?"

"You would do well not to imply that this Sesshoumaru does not have Rin's best interests at heart."

"This is to do with that Tadahiko kid," said Inuyasha, realization rounding out his words. Tucking his hands into his sleeves, he continued, "Yeah, seems like he's only around Rin these days. But you already know this," He passed Sesshoumaru a sidelong glance after his last comment. Taking stony silence for assent, Inuyasha sighed. Working out what might have transpired between Sesshoumaru and Rin, he said quietly, "You told her to stick to the boy and the village."

"She received this Sesshoumaru's blessing."

"Are you sure about this? Do you realize what you're doing? Because if you do, you should know-"

"_Yes,_" bit out Sesshoumaru repressively, causing Inuyasha to raise his eyebrows.

"Okay, already. Just checking," grouched Inuyasha.

The two brothers then stood in silence, contemplating the events that just had taken place and what they might mean for their respective futures. The sun was low in the sky and would dip below the horizon soon. With another sigh, Inuyasha was just about to grunt a farewell and walk away when both youkai whipped their heads in the direction of a scent that was growing stronger very fast. Recognizing it immediately, Inuyasha took several steps back in alarm.

Fire in her step and murder in her glare as she burst through the foliage, Kagome's voice promised far worse as she lowly grit out, "_Sesshoumaru,_"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Kagome?" asked Inuyasha meekly, from a safe distance away. He knew his wife well enough to give her a wide berth when she looked this angry. He had known this particular look of hers to move mountains.

While warning bells were definitely going off in Sesshoumaru's head, and he was rather taken aback at Kagome's unexplained aggression, he managed to stay his ground and ask in a neutral tone, "What is it,"

"No, no, don't you act all aloof with me now. I'm not impressed, and I won't have it. You will tell _now _why you've made Rin sob like that," said Kagome, looking murderous.

At her impudence, a low growl escaped Sesshoumaru despite his best efforts to appear dispassionate. He turned to Inuyasha and said lowly, "Control your woman."

More than a little relieved that he was not the object of Kagome's rage, Inuyasha barked out a laugh at Sesshoumaru's command and said, "Anybody who thinks anybody can control Kagome is a fool who needs a good kick up the ass."

"Inuyasha, will you please tell me what's happened?" said Kagome, struggling to calm herself down.

"Well, I don't know everything, but it's to do with Rin and Tadahiko."

"Sesshoumaru, you _didn't!_" exclaimed Kagome in horror, "_Please _tell me you haven't killed or injured that poor boy over his crush on Rin!"

"Oh, he's done far worse," sighed Inuyasha resignedly before Sesshoumaru could respond. "He's gone and told Rin that she has His Highness's blessing to marry Tadahiko. And before she could say anything, he upped and left."

"What is wrong with you?" demanded Kagome, looking at Sesshoumaru with frustration.

Supremely aggravated by Inuyasha and his insolent wife, Sesshoumaru turned to both of them and thundered, "This Sesshoumaru will say this for the last time; stop squawking and listen well. This Sesshoumaru has always desired nothing for Rin but happiness and well-being. Implying otherwise again will prove severely detrimental to you."

"Watch where you're going with the threats, asshole," snarled Inuyasha, while Kagome simply looked exasperated. "I am not saying you don't have her best interests at heart. I know you do. I know you would kill her, that you would die for her. But don't you see how wrong you are in this situation?" said Kagome.

Sesshoumaru resolutely turned his back on them, deciding that it wasn't worth his time or dignity to listen to their nonsense. Realizing that Sesshoumaru was about to leave, Inuyasha snapped, "Oh, wake up, idiot. She's saying Rin's in love with _you_, not the other kid. And don't think we don't know that you love her as well."

Stopping but not turning, Sesshoumaru said slowly, "It is still best for her to be with her own kind."

Huffing, Kagome grumbled, "Cut from the same cloth, the pair of you!" Ignoring Inuyasha's noises of protest, she walked around to face Sesshoumaru and made sure to look him in the eyes as she said, "Will you for one moment, deign to consider what she wants and not what is "best for her?" Your idea what she needs is not always right, you know! Think I don't know what I'm talking about? I had years of _this one,_" and here, she shot Inuyasha a fond look, "thinking he knew what was "best for me." I was yelled at, ignored, and shoved back into the Well. He even tried to block the Well on more than one occasion. Now look at us! Five hundred years couldn't keep us apart. And let me tell you, the three years without Inuyasha were misery. Don't you dare let that happen to Rin by letting your stubbornness get in the way."

While he looked rather guilty as Kagome was talking, Inuyasha sobered up quickly and said earnestly, "What Kagome's saying is true. You'd have to be one dense fuck-up not to notice the way Rin looks at you. And we've all seen her around you. And she's so cut up whenever you leave, it's downright depressing. The poor kid doesn't deserve that. She's really something. Respect her enough to allow her to make her own choice. Just be real careful and real sure before you give her the choice, though. She'll be your equal, not just a sweet little kid who used to follow you around."

Stricken by their words, Sesshoumaru made sure that his facial muscles were not betraying him by taking a deep, calming breath. Giving them both the most imperceptible of nods, he walked away… in the direction of the village.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Sesshoumaru walked away from Inuyasha and Kagome slowly, without uttering another word. He felt as though he were in a daze; he was bewildered to find that he couldn't keep up with the thoughts swirling in his mind. From the corner of his eye, he could see Inuyasha slip his arm around Kagome's wait and press a kiss on top of her head as she leaned against him with a small smile. A sudden image of him and Rin in that kind of familiar yet intimate gesture flashed through his mind, and his throat constricted; he quickened his pace ever so slightly.

In about ten minutes, he began nearing the meadow where, not too long ago, he and Rin had had their disastrous conversation. The closer he got, the more the salty tang of tears in the air tickled his nose, and the more he could hear the hitches in Rin's breath- her desperate attempts to stop crying. Another three minutes and she was in view- hunched over and hugging herself; he could not see her face, but could hear the tears slowly dripping onto the earth. Just one minute later, and he was but a few paces behind her. He stood there for what seemed like an eternity, but what was only a moment. Briefly closing his eyes for courage, he whispered, "Rin,"

She didn't believe her own ears. A sob escaped her as she pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block out all sound- real, and imaginary. Hating himself for what he had done to her, he tried once again, "Rin," but his voice just wouldn't carry. His body betrayed him, his voice unable to reach her. More tears slid down her face and he could see as well as hear the tiny splash they made upon hitting the earth beneath her.

But no more; he had never been able to bear her tears and this time was no different. He would give himself up just so that she would never cry again. No more of Rin's tears of grief and sadness would ever hit the earth if he could anything about it. That decided, he was kneeling in front of her in a flash too fast for the human eye to catch. Her body still hunched over and her eyes still squeezed shut, Rin did not see him. He cupped her cheek with one pale hand and ever so gently wiped away the tear that was threatening to fall. Rin stilled, her last sob caught in her throat. She did not open her eyes.

Slowly, voice trembling, she said, "Rin knows this hand, this presence around her. It is her lord. But Rin will not open her eyes, for if it is a fool's dream, Rin does not ever want to wake up."

"This is no dream, beautiful one. This Sesshoumaru kneels here, wondering if he may have Rin's forgiveness."

Not daring to breathe, Rin slowly opened her eyes and sighed as she gazed in Sesshoumaru's eyes, "Sesshoumaru-sama,"

"Rin," _Rin. _This one word was enough for him, this scent was enough. It would always be right; it would always be enough.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please,"

"Rin must know," urged Sesshoumaru gently but insistently, "there will be no going back."

"Good," she declared, giving him a watery smile.

Something seemed to explode within Sesshoumaru then, his throat no longer constricted. He leaned forward slowly, resting his forehead against Rin's, letting himself drown in Rin's radiant gaze. Shyly, Rin brought her hands up to frame his face and she gently stroked her thumbs across his stripes, reveling in the contact. A sudden aching hunger taking over his entire being, Sesshoumaru leaned in further, and let his lips rest against hers. When she smiled against him, he increased the pressure just a little and deepened the kiss, threading his fingers through her hair, scattering the petals of the flowers she had put in earlier.

They broke apart reluctantly, breathing heavily, pupils dilated, and cheeks flushed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, know this," said Rin fiercely, "Rin would die for her lord, several times over; she does not want to live without her lord. Never push Rin away again. No going back."

"Never," promised Sesshoumaru gravely.

Giddy relief coursing through the pair at finally having their deepest desires fulfilled, they rose and walked hand in hand to the village to announce their promised union.


End file.
